How did you start working at RIOLIS?

When I studied, my friend Alina Melenteva started working as a RIOLIS’ designer. She showed me how it’s
done, and I created my first three designs. I showed them to RIOLIS’ head designer and started working
part time. When I learned to create charts, I started working full time.

How long are you working at RIOLIS?

When I started part time, RIOLIS celebrated 15 years, so I am here for quite some time – almost 10 years!

How is your workspace organized?

When I work from home due to self-isolation, it is not well organized, but I am trying to do my best. When I
work at the office, it is much more comfortable. There are our wonderful colleagues who can always advice
or help; also, in the office I have access to the catalogues, threads and much better lightning.

Where do you find inspiration?

It is a difficult question. I could talk about birds and clouds but actually it comes from a lot of work. You do
something again and again and the more you do it, the better is the result. In the work of the designer,
there is a rule: quantity creates quality. The more effort you put in, the better result you get. It works
almost all the time and for me, this is where inspiration comes from. When you set a goal, work hard for it,
it inspires. I know it might not sound very appealing, but it’s true – inspiration comes from work.

Which one of your designs was most complicated to create?

The most complicated to create was the trio 1684 Breakfast, 1685 Lunch and 1686 Dinner. In the creative
plan it was written “recipes”. What recipes? I created a lot of different options, but none of them seemed
right. At first, we planned the designs to be on pre-printed fabric. We printed the fabric, stitched on it, but
we didn’t like the result. Finally, we decided to stitch the designs on beige fabric, and it looked great!
However, it was a lot of work.
Also, there were some issues working on the kit 1788 Underwater Kingdom. For a long time, I wanted to
create a nautical design that conveyed the energy of the sea. I tried to persuade everyone that it is a good
idea, but there were doubts if the stitchers will like it. At last, this design was approved, and I am very
happy it turned out so bright and majestic.

Which one of your created designs warms your heart the most?

Without doubt, the design that warms my heart is 1861 The Little Prince. First of all, I love Antoine de Saint-
Exupéry and was so excited when marketing department approved my idea. Second, I love how the thick
huge clouds in the background turned out. They were inspired by anime of Hayao Miyazaki and I think it
creates a fairy-tale like scene.

Which one of your designs do you think is underrated and why?

I have one design like this. There is a kit 1648 Sea Buckthorn in our assortment that I created. I also
designed lilacs as a pair for this design. We even stitched it, but it was not approved. It was left out with the
explanation “Aleksandra, you can do better”. So, I have a stitched design that is not in the catalogue and I
think it is my underrated work.

What is your dream?

I have a dream to travel around the world, but I am not sure how to achieve it. It requires a lot of time and
a lot of money, but it is my dream.

How much time does it take to create a design?

It’s a difficult question because it can take different amount of time. Some designs take a lot of time in the
stage of the idea, like the recipes – I spent a lot of time creating the sketch. Once it was done, I transferred
it to chart, it was stitched, and then the process was fast. Other designs, such as 1469 Hedgehogs in
Lingonberries were done very quickly. I made a sketch very quickly, it was quickly approved, I transferred it
to chart and the design was a best-seller. So, it can be very different.

When did you start creating patterns for cross stitch?

I started creating patterns when I started working at RIOLIS. I didn’t do it before, but once I saw my friend
Alina (who is also a designer at RIOLIS) creating patterns, I immediately was interested and since then I am
doing it as well.

What do you like most about your job?

Without doubt, it is positive feedback. Feedback from happy customers, happy people is very important. I
want to say a big thank you for everybody who like my designs – thank you for buying the kits and thank
you for stitching them. I try to do my best and the feedback is the most important part of my job. For all us
designers it is especially important, and we are incredibly happy that you enjoy RIOLIS kits.

What new designs are planned for this year?

This year we have planned a gorgeous Middle Ages tapestry just like an illustration from an old book. Also,
there will be The Birth of Venus after S. Botticelli. She will be magnificent and very big – 40 x 60 cm. There
will also be some small designs. From the ones that can be ordered already, I hope you will like the
adorable creatures of Good Souls – Twinkle, Beauty and Moon.

Did you receive any of your stitched designs as a gift?

No, I didn’t receive any of them, but my grandmother had many of my designs stitched and gifted them to
her doctors. The pictures were very well received as the doctors never got anything like that before, so they
were thrilled, especially by 1402 Bouquet of Roses after Renoir’s Painting and 0028 PT Cranes.

What is the most difficult thing to draw?

The most difficult is to draw hands and faces, especially from the classical paintings, but I think I manage to
do it quite well. The biggest challenge was to create a small diamond mosaic kit AM0018 Santa Claus as this
tiny (10 x 10 cm) design had to include not only Santa Claus, but also a deer.

All your kits are wonderful, but which one is a fairy-tale for you?

It’s easy – my favorite design right now is 1861 The Little Prince. However, I would like to create another
design with a space theme. I am interested in exploring the idea of the harmony between a small man and
an enormous cosmos in cross stitch. We will see how this project goes.

Do you have a picture from your childhood that you want to turn to cross stitch?

Yes, as a child I was impressed by illustrations by Ivan Bilibin whose pictures were in a lot of Russian
fairytales, so I would love to recreate some of them. I also love a cartoon Moomins; however, these
characters are licensed, so I cannot turn them to cross stitch for technical reasons.

From professional view, what directions of cross stitch will be popular in the future?

Actually, I don’t know what will be popular in the future, but I think cross stitching will stay popular because
of the pleasure of the process and the good time working on your project which is, in my opinion, the main
advantage of cross stitch.

Do you plan to create more designs like 1324 Scottish Heather and 1404 French Lavender? What inspired
to create these designs?

My grandmother brought me lavender honey from her travels across the Europe and it inspired me to
create kit 1404 French Lavender. Later, I was looking for the ideas what else to create and I remembered an
old poem Heather Honey, so I decided to create 1324 Scottish Heater. Next, my friend who lives in
Germany told me how popular rapeseed are there, so I created 1502 Yellow Rapeseed and then I thought
that I need to come back to my roots, so this is when design 1478 Russian Daisies was born.

When did you first realize that drawing is your way?

When I was 3 years old, I drew a pirate from a cartoon and since then my mother decided that I can be an
artist when I grow up and she did everything she could to help me. Later, I studied to become an artist-
designer in the university.

How are the designs born?

We have a plan for half a year which is given to us and we participate in the discussions – if we have an
idea, we present it in the meeting, and it is either approved or not. However, this is mainly the job of our
marketing department – they select the ideas of what designs are popular or wanted by stitchers at that
time. So, we have a plan, and we create designs according to it. Also, it happens that you become very
interested in something and I my recent hobby is looking at space, so as a result, I was inspired to create a
cosmic diamond mosaic kit AM0047 Other Worlds.

Who is your favorite painter?

I love Pierre – August Renoir, so I was happy to create a pattern as a reproduction of his painting Bouquet
of Roses (kit 1402). Also, my favorite illustrator is Ivan Bilibin. So, these are two of my favorite artists.

Do you have a favorite fairytale?

Once again, it is Little Prince and I suggested making a design according to it because you can illustrate
almost each sentence. I also like Moomins and Winnie the Pooh.
Does any of your loved one’s cross stitch?
Actually, no, so it was very unexpected for me to start working in RIOLIS. However, I think I was in the right
place at the right time and I became extremely interested in it. I’m happy I seized the opportunity because I
like doing it, and people like what I create.

If you could star in a movie, what genre would it be?

I love horror movies or psychological thriller. I like the movies with unexpected endings, so I would love to
star in a movie like that.